*L (Special) 89-33, Bell Telephone Hour Collection of Sound Recordings, Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository

Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound

Access to materials

Access to original items by permission only. Some items may be available as service copies. Other items which need preservation work may require advance notification for use. Refer to item descriptions in individual catalog records for more information.Restrictions apply

Weekly 30-minute NBC radio broadcasts, featuring classical and light classical music, which began on Apr. 29, 1940 and continued until 1958. In September, 1959, the Bell Telephone Hour made its television debut as a monthly musical special. It remained a regular television program until April 26, 1968. Library's holdings incomplete. Broadcasts chiefly originated from New York City, sponsored by the Bell Telephone Company (American Telephone and Telegraph). Each 30-minute program generally features a guest singer or instrumentalist, with the Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra, conducted by Donald Voorhees, and the Bell Telephone Hour Chorus. Frequent guest artists include Marian Anderson, Robert Casadesus, Nelson Eddy, Josef Hofmann, Fritz Kreisler, Oscar Levant, James Melton, Grace Moore, Ezio Pinza, Lily Pons, Bidú Sayão, Gladys Swarthout, John Charles Thomas, Helen Traubel, and Eileen Farrell. Chief announcer: Floyd Mack.

Biographical/historical information

"One of the great long-running shows of radio, the Bell Telephone Hour consisted of concert music performed by the Bell Telephone Orchestra and various guest artists." The sponsor of the show was the Bell Telephone Company, and ' The Bell Waltz,'(Donald Voorhees, composer), was its theme song. The first broadcast of the Bell Telephone Hour (also known simply as the Telephone Hour) was on Monday, April 29, 1940 at 8 p.m. over the NBC radio network. For the first two years, the show featured regular soloists James Melton and Francia White performing classical and operatic selections with the Bell Telephone Orchestra. On April 27, 1942, the format changed to the "Great Artists series," which featured a "succession of vocal and instrumental artists from opera and the concert stage." This series offered listeners a different famous 'great artist' each week, backed by the Bell Telephone Orchestra directed by Donald Voorhees. This series continued until 1958, during which time listeners were entertained by the talents of artists including Marian Anderson, Helen Traubel, Lily Pons, Jussi Bjoerling, Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler, Jennie Tourel, and many others. Several times a year, popular performers such as Bing Crosby; Benny Goodman, Nelson Eddy, and Mary Martin appeared. "By 1950, it was linked with The Railroad Hour, The Voice of Firestone, and the NBC Symphony in a solid block of musical programming known as NBC's Monday Night of Music." In September, 1959, the Bell Telephone Hour made its television debut as a monthly musical special. It remained a regular television program until April 1968. Dunning, John, 1942- On the air : the encyclopedia of old-time radio . New York : Oxford University Press, 1998.Lackmann, Ronald W. The encyclopedia of American radio : an A-Z guide to radio from Jack Benny to Howard Stern . New York : Facts On File, c2000.Shapiro, Mitchell E. Television network prime-time programming, 1948-1988 . Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Company, c1989.

Scope and arrangement

The Bell Telephone Hour collection consists of live audio recordings of the weekly radio programs from 1940-1958, as well as the audio portion of the television programs broadcast between 1959 and 1968. The collection is incomplete, but includes recordings of many rehearsals, interviews with performers, and commercials.

The The Bell Telephone Hour collection of sound recordings [sound recording] is arranged in three series:

Administrative information

Processing information

Using the collection

Location

Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded SoundNew York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498Third Floor

Access to materials

Access to original items by permission only. Some items may be available as service copies. Other items which need preservation work may require advance notification for use. Refer to item descriptions in individual catalog records for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

No copying of private, non-commercial material is allowed without the written permission of the proprietary rights holder. For further information, contact the Curator of The Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.

Access restrictions

Access to discs restricted.

Alternative form available

Some items have been transferred to preservation and service copies. Original items which have not been transferred may require advance notification for use. Refer to individual item descriptions for more information.